Improved apparatus for ruling bottles



UN'rrED STATES PATENT' OFFICE,

ALBERT ALBERTSON, 0F NEW YoRK,N.Y.,Ass1GNoR To JQ N. MGINTIRE, 0F

' SAME i PLACE. Y

IMPRQVED APPARATUS FOR FlLLlNG BOTTLES.

lSpecification forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,685, dated OctoberIl, i864.

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it'known that l, ALBERT ALBnR'rsoN,

'of New York city, in the State of New York,

have iuventeda new Method of Stopping or Closing `Sod a -}Vater andother Bottles; and I'do hereby declare th'at the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being' hadto the accompanyingdrawings, making part ot' this application. l

Previous to .ny invention it has been customary in bottling sodawaterand other similar ,liquids to place the mouth of the bottle in closecontact with the end of a tuhe,through which the soda'water and gas weresupplied tothe bottle. Whenthe proper quantity had beenadmittedf to thebottle, the-supply'was cut oli, `and a previously-wetted cork was forcedthrough the said supplytuhe down into the mouth of the bottle. lhehottie with the cork in was then quickly removed from the thought andVnumerous inventiomi,l with aview to dispense with theusc ot the ordinarycork for this purpose.

One great dilliculty in the production of a4 successful permanentbottle-stopper has been in making it simple enough.

lI have invented a stopper (which is made the suliect'ofanother-application now before the Patent Oiiice) which lbelieve toinvolve in its use the greatest possible degree of simplicity, since litoperates to close the bottle from :within simply hy gravitation; but tosuccessfully employ suoli a stopper on a large scale otfoperations it isnecessary to make achange in the mode of operation land construction ofthe idling-machines heretofore in.use, and to ett'ect thisnecessarychange., to admit ot' the successfulintroduction into practice'of agravitating' stopper,` is the object ot my present inventiouf and' tothis end my inven-l t-ioriconsistsin a' machine or apparatus forVfilling or supplying the bottle so constructed that the bottle, whensupplied, willihe held in the machine in au inverted position to ena-.ble the stopper contained within the bottle te descend hy gravitationinto its seat in the neck of the bottle, substantially as hereinaftermore fullyexplained. Y 1

To enable tliose'skilled in the art to raalte aud use my invention, lwill proceed to dcscribe the construction and operation of a machineembodying my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forniingpari; ot' this application; l haverepresented in sectional elevation a filling-machine constructed so asto operate according to my invention. B

is the hase or bed-plate ot the machine, which may he secured on the topot' a table or otherwise suitably supported at a proper height from theoor et the appartment'from which extend upward two vertical. stands, AA, in the tops ot which is mounted in suitable been ings a horizontalshal't, C. This shaft- C is arranged s o as to turn freely-inits'bearings, (in the tops ot' stands A A,) and is made hollow duringabout oue-haltotits length, audits hollow end is connected to a flexibletube, E,

Vwh ich communicates with the supply-fountain, and through which thesoda-water -1s coin ducted to the interior of the hollow shaft C. Thishollow D of shaft@ communicates with a short tube or nozzle, in, inwhich. 1s a stopcoclt, L, andthe lower portion or extremity of` which isso shaped as to receive themont-h of the bottle, and is provided with. arubber or other packing, o, against which the month of the bottle ispressed (as will he presently explained) so as to form a tight joint.From the sliatt 0 on either side of the nozzle m, Iand equidistant fromit,there extend two arms, F F, near the extreiniticsof which is arrangeda platform or holding-plate, Gf, in such a manner as to be capable ofsliding on or around said arms F. This platform'G is formed with anannular rim, h, within which is left a dish-like hollow ofthe propersize and shape to accommodate the bottom of the bottle P. This dish mayhe lined with some exible or softwateral to press against the bottonioft-heglass bottle. Between the platform or plate G and the ends ofthearms L are arranged two spiral springs, i i, one on each of the saidarms,

which are retained on said arms lh5' pins lr,

,and 'which are compressed some .(in thedirection indicated by the'black arrow) by the bot.- tle P beingt placed between the plate G and"nozzle m. Y

The bottles before they are put into the tilling-machines are suppliedwith Stoppers, as

se(v n at Gr, made in accordance with my invention in gravitatingStoppers, made the subject t as shown, when the platform G is releasedund th'ehottle P held firmly up against the packing oby the pressure ofthe springs i i. The cock AL is 'now turned, as seen, to admit thesida-water to the bottle P. As soon'v as the proper qnantityof waterlhas been supplied to the bottle the supply is cut ott' by again turningthe cock L and the bottle-platform, and all is turned up by rotating theshaft C in its bearings into the position shown in red lines in thedrawings, whereby the stopper Q is caused to gravitate into the Positionseen in'red and close the mouth of the bottle. .The bottle is thenremo'ved while in this inverted positiomand the moment itis withdrawnfrom the machine the pressure within the bottle in sures the forcing ofthe valve or stopper perfcctly tightinto its seat or bearing in theneel?` of thebottle. Another bottle is placed in the machine while itsparts are thus turned-up, brought down into position, and the operationof illing and tui ning up repeated, and so on.

The bottles are filled and closed very rapidly and eectually. It isbetter to insertthe empty bottle while the nozzle m is turned up, asseen in red, as then the small quantity of water which remains inthenozzle each .time-l after'taking away the filled bottle' will not hewasted.

in the bottle during thetilling. This may be arranged as in' theordinary;llingmachine, or in any other manner.

subject of another patent-.itwill be understood that the peculiar formor character of stopper has no particular connection with my presentwithin the bottle and-will z.g'ravitate, through the contents of thebottle into its seat and close the month. For instance, a simple ballmay be employed it it be so made as .to gravitate into its seat when thebottle is turned up, andbe held in its seat by-the (pressure within thebottle.,'or otherwise. l

I wish it to he undersood that my invention is not limited at all to themode ofcoustruction of the machine orapparatus employed solong as itin'vol-vesthe modeof operation invented by me-nainelylling the its seat.M yinvention may be empioyed with advantage where the contents of thebottle using in connection with it some other means of holding orretaining the stopper in p'osition after it has been gravitated into itsseat. Wishing to be understood as not limiting,r my claim of inventionto any particular form or construction of machine or apparatus forcarrying it out, or to anypeculiar form ot' secure by Letters Patent,isd- -Filling and closing the filled or supplied bottle, substantiallyas set forth, bythe gravitation olf the' stopper.

In testimony whereof I hav'c hereunto set my hand and seal this 31st dayof August, 1864.

l ALBERT ALBERTSON.

1n presence of- ANDREW I. Toni),

J. A, MCINTIRE.

'It vmay he foundnecessary'to proridefthemachine with a vent for theescape of the air Though I have shown a stopper, Q, made y in accordancewith my -invention made the linvention so long as it is placedpreviously v bottle and then gravitating the stopper into4 do not exertan )rassure when confined byv stopper, what l claim as new, and desireto

